Teaneck—High school students from across the region are enjoying the third summer of the Summer Girls Learning Initiative, a program operated under NCSY’s rubric and run by Dr. Aliza Frohlich, director of guidance for Yavneh Academy’s middle school, with support from Bruriah High School, the Frisch School, and Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls. The program is geared toward girls who spend their summer at home, most often working at the many day camps around the community. “It’s something to ensure that they continue with their spiritual growth and learning over the summer, and keeps them connected socially,” said Frohlich, in an interview with JLBC.
The girls meet each Thursday evening at the Lazy Bean Cafe, which the Secemski family, as owners of the cafe and Glatt Express, have generously agreed to keep open after hours for the event. “The girls order their drinks—lattes or milkshakes—and there is a different presenter each week,” Frohlich said.
Both women and men teach in the program, and the participating schools present instructors whom the kids are eager to hear. The schools send out emails to all their students announcing the program and each week’s speaker. Generally it is a text-based shiur, with source sheets, “but it is designed in a way that if someone doesn’t have an extensive background they won’t be lost, but if they are more advanced, they are also challenged,” said Frohlich. All of the instructors have volunteered their time. June and July speakers have been Mrs. Jordana Baruchov, Mrs. Elissa Hochbaum, Mrs. Shoshana Schechter, Mrs. Leah Silver, and Ms. Elana Flaumenhaft. August speakers will include Rabbi Donny Besser, Dr. Frohlich, and another exciting speaker to be announced.
Powerful learning experiences in Israel may be something that girls who stay home miss out on. “I was a madricha for three summer in NCSY’s Michelet program (in Israel). Just because you can’t make it to Israel for the summer, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a taste of that kind of learning experience,” said Frohlich.
Students get exposed to varied topics over the summer. Sometimes the shiur is based on women’s topics and some are related to the time of year. There have been shiurim in regard to the three weeks, especially because as day camp staffers the students are not able to spend time during the day contemplating the seriousness of the time period. “It’s not like when you go to sleepaway camp, where there’s introspection. [Working] in day camp, they are not in a program all day geared toward high school students.”
Another advantage of the program is that girls from different schools and different age groups meet each other and socialize. While the age range is high school, Frohlich said the program has welcomed some incoming 9th graders, as well as some coming back from their post-high school year in Israel.
About 25 girls attend each week, but there is room for more. There is also no commitment for girls to attend every week; each speaker is its own self-enclosed program.
Participants are asked to bring $5, which includes the cost of food and drink. Upcoming evenings of the program are August 7, 14, and 21. The group means at 7:15 p.m. until 8:15 p.m. For more information, email aFrohlich613@ gmail.com.
By Elizabeth Kratz
